I am a native of Colombia, South America. My background is in clinical psychology, policy and health care administration. I started working in palliative care back in 1989, first in Colombia as Program Director for La Viga, the first freestanding hospice facility in the country. La Viga became a well-known program in the community as a center for palliative care and cancer pain relief treatment, suited to fit the needs and conditions of the population in a country with scare resources.
During 1990 and 1992 with the support of the state health authorities we implemented a Cancer Pain Initiative for the State of El Valle del Cauca, modeled after the Wisconsin State Initiative, to provide access to treatment to the pain population throughout the regional hospitals. The demonstration project has been used as a model for other states within the country.
After moving to the USA in 1995 I worked as a fellow with the Pain and Policy Studies Group at the University of Wisconsin in Madison for one year and then with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
I’ve been a consultant for WHO/PAHO since 1996, developing a framework for a palliative care and pain relief program for the Latin America and the Caribbean, creating strategies and designing projects to increase the availability and access to adequate health care to patients with advanced, incurable diseases.
